Corpse Bride: Book 1
by CorpseBride916
Summary: If Victor had fallen for Emily, instead of Victoria.
1. prologue

Emily turned over in her bed and looked at the clock on the wall. It was 2:00 a.m. she got up out of her bed and tiptoed to her dresser so she wouldn't wake her dad who was sleeping in the room below. She lit a candle and quietly made her way to the door.

She opened the door and tiptoed down the stairs. She let out her breath now realizing that she had been holding it in the whole time. She put the candle down on the kitchen table and starting walking down the hallway to her dads room.

She paused in front of her dad's door and took a couple calming breaths before she opened the door. She saw her dad sleeping and silently walked over to her mom's closet.

I should have done this earlier, she thought to herself as she slowly opened the closet and took out her mothers long white wedding dress. She knew though if she had done it earlier her dad would have known it was missing.

With the dress spread out over her arms, she closed the closet door with her foot and walked out of her dad's room. She quickly walked up the stairs to her room not bothering to get the candle because her arms were full. She closed the door behind her and changed into her mothers wedding dress.

It fit perfectly. She then carefully walked over to her dresser trying not to ruin the dress and pulled out a pair of white gloves she had bought the day before. She slide them onto her hands and studied them. Each glove went all the way up to her elbows and were fingerless. She walked over to her closet and got out a pair of white high heel shoes that she had bought along with the gloves.

She felt the excitement build up in her as she stepped in front of the mirror and started combing her long brown hair. When she was done, she took out the long white veil that had little designs all over it; the head piece covered with pink flowers, and put it on her head.

She walked as quietly as she could with her heels on, down the stairs and out her back door that led to her garden. She walked over to a bush covered with red roses, put her hand in it, and pulled out her bouquet filled with roses and lilies. She then pulled out a sack with all the money and jewels she owned except the pearl necklace she was wearing.

She made her way to the woods just outside of town, where she would meet her husband-to-be. As she walked through all the graves in the forest shivers ran down her spine. Why had he picked this place to marry her? She knew they had to have they're little ceremony some place where no one would find them but why here?

She came up to an old oak tree where he had said to meet him. She looked around but saw no sign of him.

Maybe he's just late. She thought to herself. She looked to the sky. It was dark and foggy.

After about a half an hour, there was still no sign of him. Her legs grew tired though she didn't want to ruin her dress by sitting down. Where was he? Shouldn't he have been here by now?

Then a sharp pain came from the back of her head and she fell with a thud on the ground. Her sack of jewels and money fell out of her hand and landed a few feet away. From the back of her neck she felt her pearl necklace being torn off.

She painfully got up and turned to see who her attacker was…it was him. Her fiancée. Before she knew it, she was thrown to the ground and gasping for breath. She looked up at him to see him bending down and picking up her sack of jewels.

He then turned back to her and took a sharp knife out of his coat. He started walking toward her and she closed her eyes as she felt the knife being stabbed through her right rib.

She hazily opened her eyes and saw her murderer walk away from her holding her pearl necklace and her sack of money and jewels. She struggled for breath as she laid there dying.

Her dad had been right. Her fiancée hadn't really loved her. All he wanted was her money. He had tricked her.

She felt tears running down her face as her world faded into darkness and she let out her last breath.


	2. Chapter 1

Victor Van Dort sat down at his desk and opened his butterfly field journal. He studied the new butterfly he had found earlier today on his front porch when he had been coming home from the market. Victor had always been fascinated by the beautiful creatures since he was a boy. He would always search for them some place with grass, tree's, and flowers. Which was hard because most of the town was covered in pavement. He has at least fifth teen field journals of butterflies. His parents had tried to get him to talk or play with the other kids when he was a boy but Victor had always been to shy.

He was always like that. Very shy. He kept to himself a lot and only talked when he was asked a question. He had barley talked to anyone in his life except his parents (who didn't talk to him that much any ways) when someone did talk or ask him something, he would always stutter. He hated that about himself because it just made him more nervous and stutter even more. He had never had any friends when he was young. Well he still didn't have any friends but he didn't mind that. He was more comfortable staying in his room and writing in his journal.

Victor started sketching the new butterfly into his field journal. This was hard because it was fluttering around in the glass cage Victor had trapped it in. He was shaking a bit because he was nervous. He was getting married tomorrow and they were having the rehearsal today. It was an arranged marriage. He hadn't even met the girl. Well he hadn't met any girls except for his mother. And this wasn't just any girl. It was Victoria Everglot! Her and her family were the richest people in town!

How was he supposed to meet a girl and her family who are the richest people in town without passing out? He could barley go to the market without passing out in fear someone would talk to him! He looked up again to study the butterfly. It was a beautiful creature. It had purple and blue wings with two big light pink spots on each wing. The pink spots where bordered with a darker shade of pink. He puts some finishing touches to his sketch, closed the book, and leaned it against a pile of other books.

Victor stood up and opened the window in front of him. He bent down and studied the butterfly for the last time and lifted the glass bell jar. The butterfly fluttered around in his room and then flew out the window. Victor's room was pretty basic. A bed, a desk, a dresser, and a little stand which had all his paint brushes in a single drawer and two jars full of the paint brushes he used most on the top. His desk was piled with books and accordion files which held more butterfly sketches. Any thing that didn't fit on his desk went on the floor near his desk. His wallpaper was a simple tan design and his carpet was a grayish white.

He had some butterfly sketches he had drawn years ago on the wall and were practically falling off. His bed held a plain green comforter and wasn't that big but it was enough for him. The only other thing in his room was a globe that stood next to his desk which he used when he studied geography (another subject he liked to study).

He heard the carriage and its driver Mayhew pull up to the front of his house.

This is it, Victor thought to himself nervously.

No. he couldn't do it. He was going to mess up for sure! Maybe he could stall for a while? His parents still hadn't left the house so maybe he could buy himself a little time by saying he spilled his paints on his coat and had to change or something.

He looked out the window and saw his parents getting into the carriage. Victor sighed. He had no say in this. His parents just wanted him to marry Victoria so they could be in a higher society. He knew his parents where going to get upset if he didn't get down there soon. He could tell they were already a bit upset because he heard his mother yell.

"Where is Victor? Where going to be late!"

Victor walked to his door trying to buy himself more time, but then he heard his mother yell "Victor!" so he ran down the stairs. He tripped on the edge of the couch and fell to the ground. He immediately got up ran out the door slamming it behind him and stumbled into the carriage. He sat across from his mom and dad while Mayhew started to drive to the Everglot's.

"You must certainly got to win her Victor…" Started his dad.

"Now all you have to do is reel her in" His mom interrupted.

"I'm already reeling mother" He mumbled. "Shouldn't Victoria Everglot be marrying a Lord or something?"

"Oh nonsense! Will be as good as the Everglot's. I knew I always deserved better then a fish merchant's life."

"But I've never even spoken to her." Victor muttered.

"Well at least we have that in our favor." Victor's mother said sarcastically.

They then heard coughing coming from Mayhew. Mayhew had smoked as long as Victor could remember.

"Mayhew! Silence that blasted coughing!" Victors mom yelled.

Victor was silent the rest of the way to the Everglot's.


	3. Chapter 2

When they arrived at the Everglot's, Victor was shaking all over. His parents got out of the carriage but he stayed inside. He couldn't do it. He was going to do or say something stupid. Victor took deep breaths to calm himself. It was only the rehearsal. It would probably be over with in less then a half an hour. Then he could go home. But then there was tomorrow…no that was to think of later. Right now he just had to get through this. If he could get through this tomorrow might be a little bit easier right?

"Victor?" he heard his mom call. "Why are you still in the carriage?"

Victor shakily got out of the carriage and walked up the steps to the Everglot's front door. His mom dusted of his coat and smoothed his hair then pulled him by the arm closer to the door. His mother rang the door bell and started straitening his coat mumbling to herself. The door opened while his mother was trying to get Victor's coat just right and she turned then giggled to herself. Victor stared at the man horrified he was going to start asking him questions like "So you're Victor Van Dort?" or something but the man stayed silent.

His parents walked in and he followed lacking behind. In front of them were a scary looking man and woman. The man was short and fat. The woman was the exact opposite, she was skinny and tall. A little too tall. Her hair must have made her at least two feet taller.

"Mr. and Mrs. Everglot." Said the man who had answered the door and gestured to the man and woman. "And Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort" he said gesturing to them.

"Why, you must be Miss Victoria." His dad said to Mrs. Everglot obviously trying to please her. "Why, I say you don't look a day over twenty."

Mrs. Everglot whispered something to her husband and he started moving his mouth in a weird way. He formed a forced smile that look liked it he had to do it because it was either that or death.

"Hello. What a pleasure it is to meet you. Welcome to our home," Mr. Everglot said still holding the forced smile.

"We will be taking tea in the west drawing room." Said Mrs. Everglot.

The Everglot's and his parents started walking to the west drawing room but he did not follow. He stayed behind and then he felt his fingers brush something. He looked down and saw that it was a piano. He played a few keys and then looked to where his parents had left but just heard a door close.

This may be the last time I play piano. Victor thought. He didn't know how rich people were but he knew they only cared about money and what they could buy. So when he married Victoria she may not want him to play piano.

He started playing a couple more keys, then sat down and got lost in the music.

He didn't notice a girl walk up behind him. He turned his head and sees the girl. He jumps up startled and knocks down piano bench. He sees a small vase that was about to fall but quickly he lunged for it and stopped it before it tipped over.

"Oh, do forgive me." He said nervously. He was surprised he didn't stutter.

"You play beautifully" she simply said.

She was short. A whole head shorter then him.

"I- I- I do apologize, Miss. Everglot." he said.

Great. My stutter. Victor thought to himself.

"How rude of me too…" He glanced down to the piano bench. It would be rude if he didn't pick it up.

"Excuse me…" he said bending down and picking up the piano bench.

"Mother won't let me play the piano." She said. "Music is improper for a young lady. To passionate, she says."

"If I may ask…Miss. Everglot." He said almost forgetting her name because he was so nervous. "Wh-were is your ch-chaperone?"

"Perhaps in…in view of the circumstances…you could call me Victoria."

"Yes of course…well Victoria..."

"Yes Victor?"

"Tomorrow we are to be…ma…m…m…m…"

"Married." She finished for him.

He almost fainted on the spot by just hearing the word. She was nice… Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? No, he was going to be living with a total stranger. For the rest of his life…

He wanted to run away screaming to his house and lock himself in his room. So he wouldn't have to do this.

He noticed he had been quite so he said.

"Yes, m-m-married."

"Since I was a child I have always dreamt of my wedding day." Victoria said sitting down on the piano bench. "I always hoped to find someone I was deeply in love with. Silly isn't it?" she asked looking up at him.

"Yes silly." He said hearing her words but not paying attention to what she had said. "No!" he said quickly after realizing what he had said. "Not at all." He said sitting down on the piano bench next to her and putting his elbow on the piano.

They were startled by Mrs. Everglot, who had come into the room and said "What impropriety is this! You two shouldn't be alone together! Here it is one minute before five and you're not at the rehearsal. Pastor Galswells is waiting. You must come at once!"

Three hours later….

"Master Van Dort" Pastor Galswells said. "From the beginning. 'With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine. Let's try it again" said Pastor Galswells glaring down at him.

"Yes. Yes, sir." Victor replied. "With this candle." He said bending down to the candle on the table trying to light the one in his hand.

The rehearsal wasn't going so well. It had been three hours and he hadn't gotten a single line right! You'd think after hearing it for the fifty-seventh time, he would have known it by now.

The candle didn't light.

"This candle…" he said trying again but it still didn't light. "This candle…" he turned to look at his and Victoria's parents. They didn't look happy.

"Continue!" Pastor Galswells said.

The door bell rang and he and Victoria turned.

"Get the door, Emil" Mr. Everglot ordered.

Victor and Victoria turned there attention back to Pastor Galswells, who said "Lets just pick it up at the candle bit."

They all turned to look when a strange man entered the room and said. "I haven't a head for dates. Apparently I'm a day early for the wedding."

Wait, if he thought that the ceremony was today, wouldn't he have showed up at the church and not the Everglot's house? Who ever he was he was here for a purpose.

"Emil, a seat for Lord Barkis" Mrs. Everglot snapped.

"Do carry on." Barkis said.

"Let's try it again, shall we Master Van Dort?" asked Pastor Galswells.

"Yes. Yes, sir." He said holding up his left hand.

"Right." Pastor Galswells whispered in a harsh tone.

"Right," Victor said. "Oh! Right." He said taking the candle in his left hand and putting up his right hand. "With this…this…"

"Hand." Pastor Galswells said obviously annoyed.

"With this Hand…" he said taking Victoria's hand and started taking a few steps forward. "I will…" He bumped into the table.

"Three steps! Three! Can you not count? Do you wish to be married Master Van Dort?"

No, no he didn't want to get married. It was probably the least thing he wanted to do.

"No." Victor muttered without thinking.

"You do not?" Victoria asked.

"No!" he said realizing what he had said. How many times was he going to mutter things without thinking at the wrong time? "I meant, no I do not not wish to be married." He said choosing his words carefully.

Pastor Galswells smacked him in the head with the holy scepter. "Pay attention!" he yelled. "Have you even remembered to bring the ring?"

"The ring?" he asked stupidly. The wedding ring. What other ring would he be talking about? "Yes! Of course…" he said fishing the ring out of his coat.

He held the ring with too fingers but it slipped out of his hand and onto the floor. His hand always got sweaty when he was nervous. Which pretty much was all the time. He dived for the ring which had rolled under Mrs. Everglots dress. He quickly retrieved the ring and said "Got it."

He then heard a gasping sound behind him and turned. He had left his candle on the floor when he was getting the ring! Mrs. Everglot's dress was on fire! He knew it. He knew he was going to mess up and do something stupid!

Mr. Everglot yelled "Get out of the way you ninny!" and pushed him out of the way. He started stomping on his wife's dress trying to get the fire out. Victor's mother started fanning it with her fan which was the exact opposite of what you should do to put out a fire. "Oh, I hope it doesn't stain!" his mother yelled, of course only caring about the dress.

"Stop fanning it you fool!" Mrs. Everglot screamed batting it away.

"Get a bucket! Get a bucket!" his mother starting yelling.

Lord Barkis puts his hand forward and spills the goblet of wine, putting out the fire.

Every one turned to look at him.

"Enough!" Pastor Galswells says "This wedding cannot take place until he is properly prepared!" he turns to him and points slowly saying "Young man. Learn you vows."

Victor looks at the Everglot's and his parents. There all glaring down at him. He backs away and plasters himself against the door. He searches for the door knob with his right hand. When he found it he fumbled to open the door then ran out of the room. He was so embarrassed he ran faster then he ever had and didn't stumble once.


	4. Chapter 3

Victor had run all the way out of town and stopped in the middle of the old stone bridge that separated the town from the church and the graveyard right by the woods.

"Every one must think I'm such a fool. This day couldn't get any worse." He mumbled to himself. Then he turned startled as the town crier yelling to all the town "Hear ye, hear ye, rehearsal in ruins as Van Dort boy causes chaos! Fishy fiancée could be canned! Everglot's all fired up as Van Dort disaster ruins rehearsal!"

Great. So now every body knows about it. Victor thought to himself.

He walked in the forest after deciding there was no way he could go back into town.

"It shouldn't be that difficult." He muttered to himself. "It's just a few simple vows. With this hand I will take your wine." He said. He sighed "No."

"With this hand…I will cup your-Oh goodness no!" he really needed to think before he spoke.

He walked on in thought.

"With this…with this…" He said coming up to an old oak tree. "With this candle..I will…I will."

He sighs giving up and sits down on a tree stump. "It's no use."

Something about this place in the forest seemed welcoming to him. He didn't know why. He felt as if he should stay in this exact spot forever.

He felt himself stand up and take the ring out of his coat. He starting saying the wedding vows. "With this hand, I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty for I will be your wine." The words came so easily to him. He was so happy saying them in this spot. He flicked the ring up in the air in confidence and catching it in one hand.

"With this candle." He said snapping off a tiny branch pretending it was a candle and bent down to another branch pretending to light it.

"I will light your way in darkness. With this ring." He said holding up the ring. "I ask you to be mine." He finished bending down on one knee and placing the ring on a hand-like root.

A cold wind blew through his hair and he looks back. He sees two dozen crows staring down at him.

Then his whole right arm was pulled into ground. It didn't stay that way that long. Out of fear he pulled his arm out but whatever was grabbing on to him was still there. He pulled back as hard as he could and flung backward landing a few feet away on the ground. He gasped for breath and soon realized that he had pulled the thing that grabbed him out with him. He lifted his arm and glanced at it.

He sees half a skeleton arm covered in twisted roots clutching his wrist. He flings the skeleton arm back and it lands a few feet away from him. He starts hearing a loud pounding sound and turned his head.

The ground started cracking. Something was under the ground was trying to get out.

An arm popped out of the ground and dug its nails into the soil in front of it. Then the whole body burst out of the ground and came up to reveal what was obviously a dead girl. She wore a long tattered wedding dress and veil. A light breeze blows her veil as she lifts it out of the way to reveal her beautiful face.

Victor stared at her lovely figure. Her skin was a blue smooth color and her hair was long, tangled and a darker blue. Her left arm and her right leg were just bones and you could see the bones of her right ribs. Her eye's sparkled in the moonlight.

Victor had never seen anything so beautiful.

She looked at him and slowly whispered "I do."

She moved her hand, reaching out to him.

Wait. She's dead. I'm supposed to run away aren't I? He thought. Like a normal person would do in the situation?

He got up and started running away. Though he didn't really want to. Which scared him and made him start running faster. He looked back and didn't see the small hill and tripped, crashing into a gravestone at the bottom. He turned and saw the Corpse Bride descending the hill so gracefully. He pushed himself against the gravestone and started using it to help him up while he stared at the girl.

Still staring at her he fell back past the gravestone, he scrambled to his feet and starting running once more.

He ran looking back over his shoulder staring at her and ran into a tree. His vision seemed to blur for a second as he put one hand over his eye and turned around. His one eye that didn't hurt widened as he saw the Corpse Bride only a few feet away from him.

He turned to run and ran into the tree again. He looked at her one more time then continued running. He ran down another small hill to a frozen river. He tried running across it but his feet just slipped on the ice not taking him any where.

He turned his head and saw her again then lunged himself forward before he fainted on spot from her beauty.

He stumbled through the woods, brushing away tree branches as he ran. He got caught in a tangle of tree branches but got out quickly also tarring his coat in the process. He ran to the old stone bridge and ducked as a swarm of crows flew over him. He turned around quickly and only saw the church and the forest. He looked around from left to right disappointed because she was gone.

She's a corpse, he told himself. You can't be in love with a corpse.

Maybe he had just imagined it all. He tried telling himself, though he knew that wasn't true. She had been very much real and no matter how much he tried to deny it he knew he had fallen in love with her at first sight. He smiled at the thought of her then turned…

His face was only inches away from the corpse. He jumped back in shock.

She walked toward him one foot before the other. Her dress and veil flowing gracefully behind her as she walked toward him, and put her hands on his shoulders.

"You may kiss the bride…" she said in a voice that sounded like angels singing.

His vision started darkening as she leaned toward him and pressed her stone cold lips to his. The every thing blackened as he fainted from her beauty and his undeniable love for her.


	5. Chapter 4

Victor's eyes fluttered open. In front of him were the Corpse Bride and a skeleton guy in a tattered suit. They were leaning over him concerned.

"A new arrival!" said the skeleton man in a British accent.

"He must have fainted." She said putting her bony hand under his head. "Are you all right?"

"Wha-what happened?" he asked.

He looked at his surroundings which looked very bright, colorful and full of life. Except all the people here, except him, were dead.

"By Jove man! Looks like we got ourselves a breather!" said the British skeleton.

A corpse woman popped up in front of him and asked. "Ohhh. Does he have a dead brother?" she was short and over weight. Which Victor didn't get because these people were dead, so they couldn't eat, right?

Then a Little dead boy came in front of him, dressed in blue and started poking him with a stick.

"He's still soft." The dead boy said.

Victor got up staring at the boy horrified.

Why am I scared? He thought to himself. I had been wanting to be as close to the dead bride as I could but when it's other dead people I totally freak out.

To him that didn't make any sense.

"A toast!" said a dwarf skeleton, hitting his glass with a much taller skeleton in a solider outfit.

The tall solider took out the sword that was stuck in the chest of the dwarf skeleton. The drink pored out of his chest like a small water fall and the tall solider filled his cup with it then stuck the sword back in place. He took a drink and it went right through him. Literally. There was a giant hole in his chest which looked like a canon ball had been blasted through it.

"To the newly weds" said the dwarf skeleton.

"Newly weds?" Victor said staring into the eye's of the lovely dead bride.

"In the woods, you said your vows so perfectly." She said showing him the ring on her finger.

"I did." Victor kind of understood what happened now. He had said is vows over her grave, which had caused her to come out of the ground to be with her new husband, thinking he was saying his wedding vows so he could marry her.

No he had to be dreaming! There was no way he could have married someone this beautiful. Even if she was dead. Stuff that great just didn't happen to him.

He started banging his head on the table yelling. "Wake up! Wake up!" He turned his head to the left and saw a corpse with a trey come over and what ever was on the trey slid off it and onto the table.

It was only a man's head. And it was walking! No, he now saw beetles that carried the head. "Bonjoure! Coming through! Coming through!" said the head in a French accent. "My name is Paul." He said giggling a bit. "I am ze head waiter, and I will be creating your wedding feast!"

He jumped back and turned to the corpse bride whose eye popped out. A tiny green maggot inside her eye socket said "Wedding feast! I'm salivating!"

She quickly covered her eye socket and said "Maggots." She said giggling.

Ok, talking maggots where not normal! Well everything here wasn't normal but maggots shouldn't talk! He backed away a gasped "Oh!" he stumbled back yelling "Keep away!" he lost his balance and fell to the ground where the dwarf and solider skeletons were.

He immediately hopped up and looked around. The dead people were looking at him like he was the weird one.

He tried pulling at sword out of the dwarf skeleton seeing that it was probably the only weapon here but took the dwarf with him and pointing the dwarf with the sword sticking out of his chest to the crowd of corpses.

"I've got a…I've got a…" He stopped to think of something to call it. He settled for "Dwarf. And I'm not afraid to use him! I want some questions. Now!"

"Answers. I think you mean answers." The dwarf said.

"Thank you, yes, answers. I need some answers! What's going on here? Where am I? Who are you?"

"Well," said the corpse bride in her beautiful voice. "That's kind of a long story."

"And what a story it is." Said a skeleton with a hat and only one eyeball.

"This is going to be good." Said the dwarf, scaring Victor and making him drop him.

"A tragic tale of passion, romance... and a murder most foul."

Then the skeleton started singing. Victor new he had to have sung this before. There was no way he could be coming up with this from the top of his mind.

"Hey! Give me a listen. Your corpses of cheer! At least those of you, who still got an ear! Ill tell you a story that'd make a skeleton cry. Of our own jubiliciously lovely corpse bride!"

Then three skeletons on the stage started dancing and singing the chorus.

"Die, die, we all pass away, but don't where a frown cause its really O.K. You might try to hide and you might try to pray but we all end up the remains of the day.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,"

"Well our girl was a beauty known from miles around. When a mysterious stranger came into town. He was pretty good lookin'- but down on his cash. And our poor little lady, she fell hard and fast." The singing skeleton catched the corpse bride in his arms as she did a trust fall and then she twirled out of his arms upright.

Victor suddenly got jealous. He had never been jealous before until now. The way the skeleton twirled the one he was in love with on the stage. He wanted to be the one holding her in his arms and twirling her.

"When her daddy said no, she just couldn't cope." The skeleton sang. "so our lovers came up with a plan to elope."

The three skeletons started singing the chorus again.

"Die, die, we all pass away, but don't where a frown cause its really O.K. You might try to hide and you might try to pray but we all end up the remains of the day.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,"

"So they conjured up a plan to meet late at night. They told not a soul, kept the whole thing tight. Now her mothers wedding dress-fit like a glove. You don't need much when you're really in love. Except for a few things, or so I'm told. Like the family jewels and a satchel of gold. Then next to the graveyard-by the old oak tree on a dark foggy at a quarter to three. She was ready to go but where was he?"

"And then? Asked a corpse coming real close to Victor.

"She waited." He replied.

"And then?" asked another corpse coming close to Victor as well.

"There, in the shadows. Was it her man?" she said.

"And then?" asked another corpse who came up to Victor.

"Her little heart beat so loud."

"And then?" all the corpses by Victor chorused.

"And then, baby…everything went black! Now when she opened her eyes, she was dead as dust. Her jewels were missing and her heart was bust. So she made a vow lying under that tree, that she'd wait for her true love to come set her free. Always waiting for someone to ask for her hand." The skeleton put his bony arm around Victor's shoulders.

"But out of the blue came this groovy young man!" he said pushing Victor towards the corpse bride. The corpse bride grabbed his hands and they started spinning in a circle.

"Who's vows forever, to be by her side. And that's the story of our corpse bride!" the skeleton finished.

As he and the corpse bride were twirling around half of her skeleton arm came off with him and he fell back but two corpses caught him. He shook the skeleton hand off then dashed out of the room.


	6. Chapter 5

Victoria Everglot stared out the window thinking about the day.

"Victoria, come away from the window please." Her mother called.

"Oh I'm sure he'll be back shortly." Victor's mother was saying. "He's terrified of the dark. In fact when he was a boy, he used to to sleep with three candles on, didn't he William?

There was a knock on the door and Victoria looked up hopping it wasn't Victor so she didn't have to get married.

"Enter." Her father said.

Lord Barkis entered the room and Victoria sighed with relief, glad it wasn't Victor.

"Lord Barkis. I trust the room was to your liking." Her mother said.

"Thank you, you are a most generous hostess. Which is why I hate to be the bearer of such bad news."

Barkis snapped his fingers and the town crier walked into the room.

"Would you care to repeat tonight's headline for us?"

The town crier started ringing his bell and yelling as loud as he could like he was outside and not in a room with only six people in it.

"Hear, ye! Hear, ye! Victor Van Dort seen this night on the bridge in the arms of a mystery woman! The dark-haired tempress and Master Van Dort slipped into the night! And now for weather…"

"Enough!" Barkis yelled. "That will be all."

The town crier left the room and Mrs. Van Dort said "Mystery woman? He doesn't even know any woman!"

"Or so you thought." Barkis said. "Do call for me if you need my assistance…for anything" Barkis finished leaving the room.

"Good heavens, Finis." Said her mother getting out of her chair. "What should we do?" she asked her husband.

"Fetch me musket!" her father yelled.

"Oh! William, do something!" said Mrs. Van Dort worried.

Mr. Van Dort got out of his seat and took the musket away from Emil who was taking it off the wall.

"The town crier probably just had a slow news day. You know how it is, you need a little something to cry about." Said Mr. Van Dort.

"Regardless, we are still one groom short for the wedding tomorrow!"

"A most scandalous embarrassment for us all!" Mrs. Everglot ranted.

"Oh, give us a chance to find him," begged Mrs. Van Dort. "We beg of you. Just give us until dawn."

"Very well," Her mother sighed. "Until dawn."


	7. Chapter 6

Victor ran as fast as he could through the town of dead people. He had to find a place were he could be alone and just think. He had never even thought of talking to a girl before he met the dead bride. He had fallen in love with her at first sight. Something no one would even have thought of him doing. She was beautiful and her voice sounded like angels singing. He wanted to be with her forever. But after hearing how she had fallen in love before with another man gave him mixed feelings.

Victor turned and saw the corpse bride coming close so he ducked behind a dead horse statue. He very slowly walked out from behind the statue looking around making sure she wasn't near. He turned and saw her looking strait at him from only a few yards away and he quickly ran as fast as he could in the other direction.

"Victor." She said calling for him.

Victor ran through a shop called 'second hand Shoppe' and kept running. He turned left and into a long hallway of coffins. He stopped to think of his next move.

"Victor? Where are you?" The bride called after him.

She was to close. He couldn't run through the whole hallway without her seeing him. So he did the first thing that came to mind. He got into one of the coffins, crossed his hands over his chest, leaned his head against the side of the coffin, and shut his eyes.

"Victor? Where have you gone?" She walked right past him not noticing him. He opened his eyes to watch her walk through the rest of the hallway when he heard a tiny voice say.

"Married, huh? I'm a widow." He looked and saw a black widow talking to him. Did all bugs and insects talk here? He quickly batted it away and took of running once more.

He ran through the streets of the land of the dead.

"Victor."

He turned and saw her about twenty-five feet away.

"Victor, darling." She called once more.

He ran through another street then saw a corpse sweeping up dust with a broom. He grabbed the corpse's jacket and said. . what would he say? "Ya I just got married and my wife is trying to find me but I want to be alone right now"? That would make him sound like a jerk so he said. "There's been a mistake. I'm not dead." He shook the corpse and his head came off. He gasped and jumped back then took off running again.

He almost ran into another corpse but he stepped to the left and muttered "Excuse me." The corpse had the same idea and had stepped to the left too. He stepped to the right but the corpse did the same. The corpse then split in two and said "Excuse me." And his two sides hopped away on either side of Victor. "Thank you." The corpse said. Victor started at it dumbfounded before he turned around and started running away again.

"Victor?" he heard her call again.

He came to a stone wall and muttered "Dead end."

"Victor." She said getting closer to where he was.

He looked up. If I could get up there. He thought. I could be able to think this all through without her finding me.

He started climbing up the stone wall. Once he was at the top he grabbed the little railing at the top then crabbed something farther beyond that. It only took him a few seconds to realize that it was the corpse bride's skeleton leg.

"You could have used the stairs silly." She said grabbing his right arm and pulling him up over the railing.

"Isn't the view beautiful?" she asked.

No, it's not beautiful with you standing next to it. This place looks like garbage compared to the beauty you have.

"It takes my breath away. Well if I hade any." She said giggling to herself. "Isn't it romantic?"

She sat down on the bench and patted the space next to her motioning him to sit down by her. Victor didn't hesitate to do this.

"Look...I'm terrible sorry for what's happened to you. And I'd like to help" He said speaking the truth. But hesitated before saying. "But I really need to get home."

"This is your home now."

"But I don't even know your name." he said. All this time he had been thinking of her as 'the corpse bride' or 'the dead bride'. He wanted to know her name.

She looked away then put her hand to her ears and whispered "Shhh! Shut up!"

He looked at her wondering why she had said that.

"It's Emily," she said in her angel-like voice, smiling at him.

"Emily," he whispered to himself. Now that he new her name he couldn't imagine her as being called anything else. Emily was a beautiful name. It fit with her so well.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you." She said reaching down and bringing a box up and placing it on his lap. It was obviously a present. It had a ripped bow that looked like it had barley survived over the years. When he looked at it confused, wondering why she was giving him this, she whispered "It's a wedding present."

He lifted the box to his ear and shook it trying to guess what was inside it. He set it back on his lap again, lifted the lid and gasped. All that was in there was a mess of bones. He lifted out a small bone and said "Thank you." The box started rattling and he put the lid back on in fear of what it was doing. It bounced off him and landed on the floor scattering the bones every where. All the bones moved and formed them self into some kind of skeleton animal.

The dead animal looked at him and barked. Victor now knew that it was a dog. The dead dog picked up a round red piece of cloth in his mouth and trotted over to Victor. Victor guessed the dog wanted him to take whatever it was that was in his mouth so Victor reached out, hesitated, then took the cloth out of the dog's mouth.

He looked down at a the cloth, saw his messy writing that he had when he was a boy, written in black paint and looked back at the dog.

"Scraps…" he said slowly.

The dog barked happily at him to confirm that he was indeed Scraps.

"Scraps! Scraps! It's my dog Scraps!" He said excitedly as Scraps jumped onto his lap. He started scratching Scraps' head, then putting his collar back on.

Scraps jumped down and turned to him and Emily, his tail wagging as fast as it could.

"I knew you would be happy to see him." Emily said.

"Who's my good boy? Sit. Sit Scraps, sit." Victor commanded. Scraps sat down, still wagging his tail and looking up at him happily.

"Good boy Scraps. Roll over, roll over," he said moving on to the next command.

Scraps rolled over. Well his body did though his head didn't.

"Good boy, Scraps. Play dead." Victor said.

Scraps just tilted his head and looked at him weirdly.

He can't play dead. He is dead. Victor thought to himself.

"Sorry." He mumbled as Scraps jumped back onto the bench and started looking at Emily.

Emily put Scraps head in her hands and said "Oh, what a cutie!"

Victor started scratching Scraps' back and said "You should have seen him with fur."

"Mother never approved of Scraps jumping up like this" he said petting Scraps head "But then again, Mother never approved of anything." He finished sighing.

"Do you think should would have approved of me?" she asked seriously.

Victor shortly laughed and said. "You're lucky you'll never have to meet her."

Wait? What if he said she should meet his parents, then took her to the land of the living, then left and went to talk to Victoria about this? She was the only person who might be able to help him.

"Well actually, now that you mention it, I think you should."

"Hmm?"

"In fact…sense were, you know…married. You should definitely meet her. And my father too. We should go and see them right now."

"Oh, what a fantastic idea! Where are they buried?" she said

Victor turned away. What if they couldn't get back to the land of the living?

"What? What is it?" she asked.

"There…not from around here."

"Where are they?" she asked.

He pointed up hoping she got that they were still in the land of the living.

"Oh there still alive." She said.

"I'm afraid so."

"Well that is a problem."

Scraps barked and Emily looked down at him and asked "What's that Scraps?"

She bent down on one knee to here Scraps better. When you're dead you can talk to animals? This place just kept throwing surprises at him.

Scraps barked again and Emily said "Oh, no we couldn't possible."

Scraps barked once more and Emily stood up and said "Oh well, if you put it like that."

"What?"

"Elder Gutknecht," she whispered.


	8. Chapter 7

The walk to Elder Gutknecht's house hadn't been long. It only took them about five minutes to get there. Emily asked him questions about his parents which he answered honestly.

"Who do you resemble most? Your mother or your father?" Emily asked.

"My father. He looks the most like me." Victor replied.

"Do you have any resemblance of your mother?"

Victor thought it over and answered.

"My hair. Her hair is brown but its strait when she has it down. My father was more curly. So I guess the only resemblance I have with my mother is our strait hair."

"Ah, here we are." She said stopping at a tall building.

It looked kind of scary. There was stairs going around the whole building to the top. They started there long walk up the stairs.

Once they got up to the top of the stairs and Scraps let out a little bark.

"Scraps," Emily said trying to get him to be quiet. "Elder Gutknecht…are you there?" she called quietly. They entered the room at the top of the stairs. It was full of books. Every possible corner was stacked with books. There was so many they could barley walk in the room.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Emily said.

Victor walked by next to her still looking around the room.

"Hello?" Emily called again looking around the room. Victor bumped into a stack to books making them all fall in a heap on the floor, making a loud sound. The noise had startled the crows in the room and they all flew out quickly. In the shadows, Victor saw a creepy hand move out to stop the swaying lamp that had been startled by the birds. He turned and saw that it wasn't a dark, scary, dead person like he thought it would be.

It was a small skeleton, as twisted as a tree root. He was obviously old. His skull seemed to be cracked in a couple of places and he had a long skinny gray beard hanging from his jaw bone. He had tiny reading glasses on.

"There you are!" Emily exclaimed happily.

"Oh, my dear. There you are." He said in an old, ancient voice, looking down at them from his podium.

"I brought my husband, Victor." She said gesturing to him.

"What's that? Husband?" he said. He must have not heard all the stuff going around about there 'marriage'.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." He said a little loud, not knowing if the old Skeleton could hear all that well.

"We need to go up. Upstairs?" Emily said pointing her bony finger up. "To visit the land of the living."

"Land of the living?" he asked. "Oh, my dear." He said getting of the podium and coming down the stairs. Well it was a bunch of books arraigned into a stair case.

"Please Elder Gutknecht." Emily begged clasping her hands together.

"Now why go up there, when people are dying to get down here?" he asked.

"Sir, I beg you to help." Victor said now clasping his hands. "It means so much to me.." He then looked at Emily. "Us" he said.

"I don't know," he said scratching his skull. "It's just not natural."

"Please, Elder Gutknecht." Emily begged again. "Surely there must be something you can do." She said in a soft beautiful voice. If she had been looking at him and said that, all he could have done was gawk at her loveliness.

Elder Gutknecht patted her bony hand with his and said. "Let me see what I can do."

Elder Gutknecht starting walking away and he said to himself. "Now where did I put that book?"

He lost a book in here? It was going to take him hours before he found that thing!

Elder Gutknecht pulled open a cabinet that contained more books and started rummaging around in there looking for the book. He then closed the cabinet and opened the top drawer of a wooden dresser. A bunch of crows flew out of it and Victor ducked behind Emily as they swarmed out of the room.

"I left it here somewhere." Elder Gutknecht muttered to himself. He started picking up books, glancing at them, and then throwing it behind him.

One gigantic book was about to crush Scraps but he had jumped out of the way.

"There's the one." He said taking out a big, red, volume. He blew a bunch of dust off of it and then went back up to his podium with a few jars in his hand.

He opened up the book to the middle and turned the page. He turned another page but turned it back and said "I have it. A Ukrainian haunting spell. Just the thing for these quick trips."

"So glad you thought of this." Emily whispered stepping towards him.

"Me two." He said. He now felt bad for this. He loved her but what if she didn't love him? What if she was still really in love with that other guy? He had to get to Victoria to talk to her about this.

Elder Gutknecht took out a cup and grabbed a jar. He took the cork out of it with his mouth then spit it out. He started filling the cup with the liquid and took something out of another jar. He sprinkled it in the cup, and then plucked a feather from the crow next to him which made the crow squawk and put it in the cup. A little bit of red smoke burst from the cup and Elder Gutknecht fanned it away with his hand.

He lifted the cup out to him and then…put the cup to his mouth and drank it.

"Now then…" he said shaking his bones a burped which caused a bit of red smoke come out of the crack in his skull. "Where were we?" he asked

Victor and Emily exchanged a glance, and then turned back to him.

"The Ukrainian haunting spell?" she said.

Elder Gutknecht took a hold of the crow by the neck with one hand and with the other squeezed an egg out of it.

"Here we have it. Ready?" He said taking the egg in his hand. "Just remember, when you want to come back, say 'hopscotch.'"

"Hopscotch?" Emily asked in an exited voice.

"That's it." Elder Gutknecht said as he broke the egg and a golden cloud enclosed over him and Emily.


	9. Chapter 8

The golden cloud turned blue and when it disappeared, Victor could see they were in the forest by his town. He looked up and saw the big, bright, full moon. The moonlight beamed on them.

"I've spent so long in the darkness; I'd almost forgotten how beautiful the moonlight is." Emily said beside him.

Victor turned his head to see Emily watching a butterfly that looked very much like the one he had drawn this morning. Had it only been this morning? Victor felt like he had been with Emily for years yet he still could not get enough of her. The moonlight looked so beautiful beaming on Emily.

They watched the butterfly as it fluttered up in the sky and out of sight.

Now this is romantic. Victor thought. He wished he could stay here with Emily forever. Have the moon always so big and bright like this.

Emily leaped forward gracefully and twirled around coming back to him. She came up to his right and moved her arm around him. They both stared into each others eyes.

Victor was hypnotized by her dancing. She moved so delicately and gracefully. He turned reminding himself that he had to talk to Victoria about this first.

He turned back to Emily to see that she had stopped dancing. She then gracefully spread out her arms and started dancing again with her veil blowing beautifully in the breeze. He then again became hypnotized by her dancing.

She came up to a tree, taking it in one hand by the trunk and swinging herself around it. She came up to him and moved ghost-like around him. Her veil seemed to swirl around him in slow motion.

She started swirling around him in circles. It looked like she was hovering around him like a ghost. He shook himself out of her hypnotizing trance.

He took a hold of her ice cold shoulders "Hold on, hold on." He said as he set her down on a gravestone.

"I think I should…prepare mother and father for the big news. I'll go ahead and you…wait here." He said.

"Perfect." She said.

"I won't be long. Stay right here. I'll be right back." He started leaving and he felt like he was being torn in two just the thought of leaving her.

"Ok." Emily said

He rushed back to her and said "No peeking." Just so he could see her again before he left.

You're going to see her again. He thought to himself. This won't take long.

Victor then started running out of the woods to Victoria's house.


	10. Chapter 9

Victor ran up the steps of the Everglot mansion. He got up to the porch and was about to knock when he heard Mr. and Mrs. Everglot talking inside right by the door.

"If ever I see that Van Dort boy…I'll strangle him with my bare hands!" Mr. Everglot said furiously.

"Your hands are to fat," Mrs. Everglot replied. "And his neck is to thin. You'll have to use a rope."

Victor backed away from the door then went around to the other side of the house where he saw a balcony. There were a tangled mess of vines going up along the wall to the top of the balcony and he started climbing.

It didn't take him long to get to the top but once he was about to climb over the railing he slipped, and fell down hard on the balcony with a thud.

He quickly got up and shook his head to clear his head. He then looked through the glass door and saw Victoria sitting in an arm chair. He quietly knocked on the door. Victoria looked back, got up and came to the door. She opened it and he came inside and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the door still out of breath from his long run here.

"Victoria." He said still gasping for breath.

"Victor? I'm so happy to see you. Come by the fire." She said grabbing his hand and bringing him over to the fire.

"Where have you been? Are you all right?'

"I-I-oh dear." He said. How was he going to explain this all to her? She wasn't going to believe any of it. Ok he'd tell her about Emily but not mention she was a corpse. How was he going to do that? That was the whole point of why he was here!

"You're as cold as death." She said touching his hand. "What's happened to you? Your coat."

Think! How was he supposed to explain this? He had to tell her Emily was a corpse or else she couldn't help him.

"Victoria…after the rehearsal today I went into the woods outside the town….and something happened…."

"What happened? Where you attacked by an animal?"

"No, I-I-I-met someone there…and…"

"Did he hurt you?" she asked concerned.

"Well…no…it wasn't…a 'he'." He said.

Victoria seemed to be getting it. "It was a girl…and you have feelings for her?" she asked.

"Yes, I love her…but…"

"But you know where supposed to get married? Victor, I'm not forcing you to marry me. It's my parents who wanted me to get married so badly but I didn't want to because I had already fallen in love."

"You had? But then why didn't your parents just let you marry him?"

"He isn't someone my parents would want me to marry. He works with the chief in our kitchen and…my parents never really liked him because his family was poor. I'm not going to stand in the way of you and…what's her name?" Victoria asked.

"Emily." Victor replied. "Her name is Emily."

"Well I'm not going to stand in the way of you and Emily being together." She said smiling at him.

Victor smiled back. "Thank you Victoria…but there is another thing…"

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well…she's not exactly…from around here…"

"What do you mean?"

Uh! This was going to be hard. She was never going to believe him. Wait a minute! Did he have anything of Emily's with him? He thought for a moment.

"She's not exactly…'alive'," Victor felt relieved to have finally said it.

Victoria was looking at him oddly. "What do you mean she's not alive?" Victoria said slowly.

Victor sighed and let out the whole story. How he had said his vows over Emily's grave making her think she was marrying her, then how he had fallen in love with her and she had taken him to the land of the dead.

"Victor…are you sure you hadn't just fallen asleep in the woods? And dreamt it all?"

Victor let out a long sigh. He knew she was never going to believe this. He could take her to Emily, couldn't he? He looked over Victoria's shoulder and gasped.

Emily was climbing up the railing of Victoria's balcony, her veil blowing in the wind.

Victoria was about to look over her shoulder but he quickly caught her head in his hands.

"What I told you is true. I am married to a corpse and I love her with all my heart."

Emily opened the door and walked in as a rush of wind blew her veil over her head and slammed the doors shut behind her.

"My darling, I just wanted to meet.-"she finally got her veil out of her face and gasped seeing Victoria.

Victoria then gasped now seeing that what Victor had been saying was true.

"Darling?" Emily said taking Victor's arm and pulling him closer to her. He knew she was really doing it to show Victoria that Victor was hers. "Who is this?" Emily asked obviously knowing that he had lied to her to see Victoria.

"Who is she?" Victoria asked though she already knew.

"I'm his wife." Emily said holding out her bony hand with the ring on it.

"See?" Victor said taking Emily's skeleton arm and waving it. "She's dead. Look."

Emily furiously pulled her arm away from him, then glaring at Victoria, she whispered. "Hopscotch,"

She grabbed Victor's arm and pulled him to her as they drifted out through the balcony doors and back to the land of the dead.


	11. Chapter 10

"You lied to me!" Emily said pushing Victor away from her. "Just to get back to that other woman!" she turned away from him crossing her arms.

"I don't think of her as more then just a friend. Were friends. Just friends. I was supposed to marry her but it was an arranged marriage so technically you're the other woman…"

"No! You're married to me!" she said pointing her hands to herself. "She's the other woman." She cried pointing up.

Victor hated seeing her so sad. He was about to say something but then Elder Gutknecht said "She's got a point."

"And I thought…" she cried wiping her tears with her veil. "I thought this was all going so well." she sobbed as her popped out and rolled over to his foot. He picked it up and walked over to her.

"Look, I'm sorry but…" he rubbed her eye against his coat to clean it then handed it out to her. "This just can't work,"

She snatched the eye out of his hand and held it close to her.

"Why not?" she asked still not facing him.

Ya, why not? You love her and want to be with her forever so why not? Victor thought to himself. His parents wouldn't know where he went. And she was dead. But he didn't care that she was dead. He still thought she was the most beautiful he'd seen and ever will see.

"It's my eye, isn't it?" she said sadly.

"No your eye is…lovely. Listen, under different circumstances, well, who knows? But were just to different, I mean your dead." He said. Why was he arguing with this? But then he remembered his reason. The other man. The one that she had fallen in love with before she died. What if she still loved him? And her being with him was just temporary?

"You should have thought about that before you asked me to marry you." Emily said.

Victor started getting upset about the 'other man' and blurted without thinking. "Why can't you understand it was a mistake? I would never marry you." He gasped at what he had just said and looked at Emily who looked very hurt.

She walked away from him. She looked so hurt. Victor wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her how sorry he was and that he didn't mean any of it. Which was true. She was the only person he wanted to marry and he knew that it couldn't of have been a mistake that he had asked her to marry him. He hadn't even barley remembered the first three words of his vows but right as he walked onto her grave, he had said them perfectly and meant to say them.

He was about to say something but all he could do was gawk at how gracefully and beautifully she left the room with her veil and dress trailing behind her.


	12. Chapter 11

Victor saw Scraps standing in front of the Ball and Socket Lounge with Emily's bouquet in his mouth. Victor sighed relieved that he had finally found her. He had been looking for her this whole time. Scraps came up to him and dropped the dead flowers in front of him.

He bent down, picked up Emily's bouquet, and walked into the building.

As he descended the stairs, he heard Emily plinking sadly on the piano in the room. He hadn't known she could play piano. Victor loved playing the piano. Victor felt himself smiling. The kept seeming less and less different every second.

Victor walked up beside her.

"I…think you dropped this." He said handing the bouquet to her.

She ignored him and kept playing her sad tune with her bony hand. He put the bouquet on the red cushion piano top. He turned away from her hating to see her face to sad. He turned back to her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you about wanting to see my parents."

Emily still ignored him.

Victor sat down on the piano bench next to her and played a little happy tune.

Emily looked at him still angry and then began to play her sad piano song again.

Victor waited for her to finish then played a longer, happier note.

She looked at him briefly, still mad and put her smooth blue hand up and played a deep, sad melody with two hands.

Victor played a faster and lighter tune. He looked over to Emily who had her hand on her chin and her other hand resting on the piano. He could tell she was still mad at him.

He started playing again and looked over to Emily who still ignored him. She started playing again and this time Emily joined in. It was not a sad tune like she had been playing before. It was a happier tune this time.

Victor looked over to her, smiled to her and she smiled back.

Her skeleton hand then snapped off and 'walked' across the piano and it the same to keys a bunch of time before crawling up his arm, then walking across his shoulder. He lifted his right arm as it walked onto it and jumped around happily. He took it off his forearm and held it in his hand.

"Pardon my enthusiasm." Emily giggled.

"I like your enthusiasm." He said reattaching her hand to her arm. They stared deeply into each others eyes, holding hands.

Someone started ringing a loud bell and they both turned to see what it was going on.

"New arrival! New arrival!" Ms. Plum yelled.

Corpses and skeletons filled the room in seconds. He saw Ms. Plum pushing people aside as she made her way to a man in an orange coat yelling "Welcoming committee! Coming through! Coming through!" she got up to him and patted his hand and said "My name is Plum, Ms. Plum."

The man looked familiar. What a minute…no it could be…

"Mayhew…" Victor said to himself.

He quickly got up from his seat and walked over to him while saying. "Mayhew! It's so nice to see-"he stopped because he saw as Mayhew turned around that he was also dead.

"I'm so sorry." Victor said.

"Oh, yeah, actually though, I feel great." He said taking in a deep breath. He then realized that Victor was here, not dead and his eye's widened in shock.

"Victor? How are you here…what happened to you? You're not dead so how can you be here…"

"It's a long story Mayhew…"

"You should be back in the land of the living. You've probably been trying to get home…Maybe Elder Gutknecht can help you…" he said taking Victor's wrist as he started to walk to the door, but Victor pulled his wrist back and said "But I don't want to go home."

Mayhew's jaw dropped as he stood there dumbfounded.

"What do you mean you don't want to go home? Doesn't this place freak you out? Why do you want to stay here?"

Victor looked over at Emily who was watching him and she smiled. He smiled back at her.

"I fell in love." Victor replied still smiling at Emily.

"You fell in love with a corpse!"

"Yes." Victor answered not taking his eyes off Emily.

"Victor, the clumsy, shy guy who practically faints every time he talks to someone, fell in love with a corpse?"

"I love her Mayhew." Victor said turning back to him.

Mayhew sighed "Sorry for blowing up like that, it's just not something you would do."

"I know. I was shocked myself too. Wait, how is everyone?"

"Well there still wondering where you slipped off to. Oh and…uh…Miss. Victoria…"

"Yes?"

"Well, she's getting married this evening."

"Her parents finally let her marry him?" He asked.

Mayhew looked confused and said "Huh? Her parents are the one who picked him out. She is very upset I heard."

"Who is she marrying?"

"Some, wealthy, new comer. Lord somebody-or-other."

"What? But…"

"Yeah with you gone and all…I guess they didn't want to waste the cake." Mayhew said pathetically laughing.

He walked away slowly deep in thought.

"Victor? Where are you going?" Emily said though he didn't hear her since he was lost in thought.


	13. Chapter 12

Victor put his head in his hand as he sat on a coffin in the hall of coffins (which he now called it) deep in thought. It wasn't fair that he got to be with the one he loved when Victoria didn't.

He heard Emily's voice, got up off the coffin, walked to the door where he heard Emily's voice, and peeked through the tiny opening of the door that lead to the kitchen of the Ball and Socket Lounge.

"Oh, Ms. Plum, what am I to do?" Emily said. "He just walked off without saying a word. Are all men like this?"

Ms. Plum was cleaning kitchen utensils and said "Well I'm afraid none of them are very bright." Ms. Plum said taking a knife out of another cooks head and cleaned it. "They get something stuck in there heads and you can't do a thing with them."

Elder Gutknecht came into the kitchen with a book that looked exactly like the book he had gotten the Ukrainian Haunting spell out of. Or was it the same one?

"My dear, we have to talk." He said setting the big book down on a table.

"Let me tell her, please. Let me tell her," Said the maggot that had popped out of Emily's eye earlier that night.

"What?" Emily asked.

"There is a complication with your marriage," Said Elder Gutknecht.

Victor felt his heart plunge into his stomach. There was a complication with there marriage? Did that mean he would have to leave? And never see Emily again?

"I don't understand." Emily said.

"The vows are binding only until death do you part."

"What are you saying?" Emily asked.

"Death has already parted you."

Emily gasped. "If he finds out he'll leave!"

That's not true. He would never leave her. He didn't want to. He wanted to stay with her forever no matter what.

"Surly there must be something you can do." Emily begged.

"Well, there is one way." Elder Gutknecht replied.

"Oh, please, please, let me tell her." The maggot said from under the book pages.

"It requires the greatest sacrifice." Elder Gutknecht said.

"Go on, get to the good part," Begged the maggot.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"We have to kill him!" the maggot said excitedly.

"What?" Emily said in horror.

Victor gasped too. Emily wouldn't kill him. She wouldn't do that…or would she?

"Victor would have to give up the life he had forever. He would need to repeat his vows in the land of the living and drink from the wine of ages." Elder Gutknecht said.

"Poison," Emily gasped.

"This would stop his heart forever. Only then would he be able to give it to you." Elder Gutknecht said.

"I could never ask him," Emily said falling to her knees.

She loved him. She really did love him. She didn't want to kill him. She was thinking of him.

He loved her too. He had from the start. Victor felt himself walk into the room and say "You don't have to," Emily looked up at him in surprise. "I'll do it." He said looking into her eyes.

"My boy, if you chose this path, you may never return to the world above. Do you understand?" Elder Gutknecht said.

Victor took Emily's hand as she stood up and they looked into each others eyes.

"I do." Victor said.


	14. Chapter 13

"Gather around! Gather around everybody! We've decided to do this thing properly. So grab what you can and follow us. We are moving this wedding party upstairs," Victor said pointing his finger up.

Everyone excitedly started getting ready for the wedding. Victor helped Emily off the Skeleton horse statue she had been sitting on and jumped of the giant cement stand that the skeleton horse stood on.

"Hold on, Victor." A voice said.

He turned and saw a female spider. "You can't get married looking like that." She said.

Six spiders came down and started sowing up his ripped cloths. When they were done his cloths looked like there had never been any holes in them. He smiled excitedly for his and Emily's wedding that was to come.


	15. Chapter 14

Every body was gathered around in a large room waiting for his bride Emily to come. Then he heard someone say "Oh…there she is!"

Victor looked to his left and saw Emily beautifully descending the stairs with her bouquet in her hands.

She looked so beautiful. Victor couldn't take his eyes of her. Three spiders put her veil back on her head and Emily started gracefully twirling around.

A couple of corpses and skeletons took him away and he stared at Emily till he was out of sight. There were all prepared for the wedding and to go up to the land of the living.


	16. Chapter 15

All the people from the land of the dead had made it to the church easily. Though they did cause quite a ruckus in the town.

Everyone was seated in the church and Victor waited by the altar for the wedding to start. He then heard the piano begin to play and they all turned. A skeleton boy and a skeleton girl where throwing dead flower petals on the ground as Emily walked in behind them. Emily looked at Victor and smiled. All Victor could do was gawk at her beauty as she came down the aisle.

As she approached him, Victor held out his hand which she took.

"Dearly beloved and departed," Elder Gutknecht said. "We are gathered here today to join this man and this corpse in marriage." Elder Gutknecht motioned for him to speak and said "Living first."

He raised his left hand and turned to Emily. "With this hand I will lift your sorrows." He picked up the empty goblet "Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine."

"Now you," Elder Gutknecht said to Emily.

Emily looked into his eyes before saying "With this hand, I will lift your sorrows." She picked up the red bottle in which held the wine that would kill him. "You cup will never empty." She said pouring the poison into the goblet.

"For I will be…" she stopped looking a little scared. "I will be…"

"Go on, my dear," Elder Gutknecht said to Emily.

"Your cup…will never empty…" Emily said her eyes looking at something behind him. "For I will be…"

Tears started falling down Emily's face as her eyes still looking at something behind him.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

Emily slowly pointed a bony finger up to the thing past him and he turned.

"Oh, how touching." said Lord Barkis sarcastically


	17. Chapter 16

"I always cry at weddings." He said pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "Our young lovers together at last. Surely now they can live happily ever after."

Emily gasped and held his arm tightly. She seemed to be terrified of Lord Barkis.

"What's wrong?" Victor whispered to Emily who was still clinging on to his arm.

"That's him." She whispered her voice trembling. "He's the man who killed me so he could steal my money."

Victor turned back to Lord Barkis. He felt his fist's ball up.

"You!" Victor said glaring at him.

Lord Barkis looked up to him seeming now to realize that it was Victor who was marrying Emily.

"You?" Barkis questioned. "Why would you marry her? She's dead." He asked amazed.

"You left her!" Victor yelled at him.

"For dead," Emily said, her voice still trembling.

Everyone in the room gasped as they now realized it was Lord Barkis who had killed Emily. They all seemed to get furious with rage. Just like hewas.

"This woman is obviously delusional," Barkis yelled, grabbing Victoria who had apparently been in the audience the whole time, taking the sword out of the dwarf skeletons, and holding it to Victoria's neck.

So this was the man who married Victoria? He was going to do the same thing to her as he had done to Emily.

Still glaring at him, Victor walked up to him and slowly said "Take your hands off her."

"Do I have to kill you too?" he said pointing the sword to Victor's stomach.

Then Scraps came up to Barkis and bit his ankle hard. Barkis yelled, letting go of Victoria and tuned, kicking Scraps of his ankle.

Victoria ran away from him and Ms. Plum yelled "Victor, catch!" throwing something to him which he caught.

It was only a fork instead of all the other knifes that had been in the other corpses back.

"Sorry," Ms. Plum mumbled.

Barkis swung his sword at him, which Victor prevented from splitting him in two with the fork. Victor ducked out of the way of barkis' next swing and Bakis slammed into the table.

Barkis regained his balance and started coming at him again. Victor backed away with the fork held out in front of him. Barkis swung two more times only hitting the fork. Victor plastered himself against a stone pillar and Barkis took another swing trying to cut Victors head off but Victor ducked out of the way and Barkis only hit the pillar.

Barkis swung again but Victor ducked under his arm, went around the pillar and stabbed Barkis in the back with his fork. Barkis let out a yell then turned to Victor and started swinging again but Victor managed to hit it with his fork each time.

Victor ducked as Barkis swung again hitting one of the church's bench's and struggling to get it out.

Victor swung his fork and managed to get him, leaving three lines from the fork in his coat. Barkis looked down and seemed to get even madder. He swung down hard. It would have cut Victor clean in two but Victor caught the sword in one of the fork tines. Seeing that he could no longer hold the sword in that place Victor crawled under one of the church benches.

This didn't stop Barkis. Barkis stabbed the sword through the bench that missed Victor by and inch. Barkis tried again this time stabbing it farther away then it had last time.

Victor reminded himself of who he was. That he had killed Emily. Furious, Victor stabbed his fork up through on of the holes Barkis had made with his sword, getting him in the foot.

Barkis screamed, and then fell of the bench sending a row of benches crashing down.

Victor got up and turned around looking for Lord Barkis.

Then Lord Barkis appeared, hit the fork out of his hand with the sword and kicked him in the stomach.

Victor glared at Barkis as he pointed the sword in front of his face. Barkis pulled back the sword and stabbed it forward. Victor gasped as he saw Emily with the sword sticking out of her chest. He swiftly took the sword out and pointed it at Barkis.

"Touché, my dear," Barkis said.

"Get out." Emily ordered, glaring at him.

Victor got up and backed away as Barkis came toward the altar. Emily still glaring and pointing the sword at him with each step he took.

"But first a toast, to Emily!" Barkis said. Taking the goblet of wine. "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Tell me, my dear, can a heart still break after its stopped beating ?"

Emily looked like she was about to burst into tears. Victor wanted to run up there and teach him a little lesson but then he remembered…the wine…

All the corpses and skeletons were about to rush up to Lord Barkis and start attacking him but Elder Gutknecht blocked them with his bony arms and said "We must abide by there rules. We are amongst the living."

"Well said," Barkis said holding out the wine, drinking it, then throwing it off to the side, and walked away.

He got to the door then bending over clutched his chest as the poison killed him.

Barkis gasped then turned to them dead. His face was blue.

"Not anymore," Said the maggot.

"Yep. Your right. He's all yours." Said Elder Gutknecht letting the crowd pass by him.

The corpses and skeletons made there way over to Lord Barkis who was desperately trying to open the door. They all pushed him inside the room and as Ms. Plum was closing the door she whispered "New Arrival."

Victor looked over to Emily and smiled at her. She smiled back and he walked over to her.

He pulled her into an embrace and she leaned her head against him.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too." Emily said.

He glanced up at Victoria who was looking around nervously.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. "Lord Barkis is gone now. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about you two." She said

"What do you mean?' Victor asked confused.

"The town crier had figured out that Emily was a corpse before the people from the land of the dead came here for your wedding and he announced it to the whole town though no one believed him until they saw all the people from the land of the dead here."

"So, what's the problem?" he asked.

"Your parents didn't seem too pleased with the news."

"I don't care. I love Emily and nothing will make me leave her."

Then ten people barged into the church. It was his parents, Victoria's parents, Pastor Galswells, and five other men Victor didn't know. Mr. Everglot and the five other men had muskets.

"That's her!" yelled the town crier now coming into the room. "She's the corpse that I saw on the bridge with Master Van Dort!"

Mr. Everglot and the other five men raised there muskets at him and Emily. He then realized that there only target was Emily and not him.

Victor held Emily close to him. So this is what Victoria was trying to warn them about.

"Master Van Dort," said Pastor Galswells. "Get away from the corpse." He ordered.

"No," Victor said glaring at them.

"This is going to be harder then we thought," he heard his mother whisper to the rest of them.

Mr. Everglot motioned the five other men with his musket to do something.

The five men put down there muskets and started moving toward them. Victors grip on Emily got stronger.

Two men grabbed Victor by his arms and started pulling him away from Emily.

"No!" he screamed as he parted from Emily. He started kicking and screaming but another man grabbed his feet and they covered his mouth.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free of there strong grip. Emily started moving toward him but was stopped as the two other men pulled her back away from him.

"Victor!" Emily screamed.

The corpses and skeletons from the land of the dead rushed out of the room to see what all the screaming and yelling was about.

They were about to do something but stopped. Since they were in the land of the living, they could do nothing.

"Leave you people from the land of the dead! And never return!" Pastor Galswells yelled.

"We must follow there orders." Elder Gutknecht said sadly.

One of then men finally let go of Victors mouth but only because if he hadn't Victor would have escaped there hold.

"No!" he screamed. "Elder Gutknecht please don't take her away from me!" he sobbed.

Elder Gutknecht looked up at him sadly and said "I'm sorry Victor, we must follow there orders. It is how things are." Elder Gutknecht went over to the altar and pulled the big, red book off from the ground ignoring Victor's screams of "No!"

He looked over to Emily who was crying and trying to say something though her mouth was covered by the hands of one of the men.

Elder Gutknecht started saying the spell to take all the corpses and skeletons back to the land of the dead. When he said the last word, blue smoke started rising from the ground and Victor, with tears running down his face, watched Emily disappear along with the rest of the corpses, back to the land of the dead


End file.
